Travelodge
Action Taken
Travelodge will extend basic first aid training to all reception team members, including night shift staff, to ensure 24/7 coverage. All other hotel team members will continue to receive first aid information and instruction to act as appointed persons. (AI summary)
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Dear Ms Kaushal
Thank you for your Regulation 28 report dated 23 January 2024, concerning the circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Thomas Roy Langley, which your report confirms was sadly caused as a result of Mr Langley taking a toxic level of a number of substances at some point during his stay at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge on the 21st - 22nd May 2019. I have read your report in detail, and as a result I reviewed our existing first aid arrangements, paying particular reference to this incident. This review has included discussions with other departments across the wider business, as well as a review of all the incidents reported as requiring the provision of first aid assistance during 2023, which confirms, as with the review of incidents reported during 2019 which was undertaken following notification of the inquest, that the majority of the incidents that require first aid assistance still occur during the day, with only circa 9% of incidents occurring between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00. It should also be noted that the first aid provisions in place at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge at the time this tragic incident occurred complied with the legal obligations placed upon Travelodge by the Health & Safety (First Aid) at Work Regulations 1981 (“The Regulations”). The first aid risk assessment was undertaken as required by The Regulations, and follows the guidance set out with the Health & Safety Executive’s (“HSE”) guidance document ‘First aid at work: Guidance on regulations’, which advises that for low hazard environments, such as offices and shops, which would include Travelodge hotels, with fewer than 25 employees on duty, only 1 first aid Appointed Person is required.
The guidance also states that under The Regulations, employers have no legal duty to provide first aid for non-employees / members of the public, but recommends that we consider them when undertaking our assessments, which Travelodge had done and as a result had provided the hotel management teams with basic first aid training, above what was required for a first aid Appointed Person. Travelodge reviews its safety and security policies and risk assessments on an annual basis, or more frequently if an incident occurs indicating that a review of a current policy, procedure or risk assessment is required. Prior to the incident involving Mr Langley occurring in May 2019, this risk assessment was reviewed in January 2019, and confirmed to continue to be adequate and appropriate. Additionally, it should also be noted that the pathologist specifically stated that due to the level of toxins taken by Mr Langley, no amount of first aid provision that could have been provided at the hotel would have altered the subsequently tragic fatal outcome. Having reviewed our existing arrangements, taking into account the number of incidents reported, types of injuries reported that require first aid assistance, the times of day when incidents tend to occur and the specific circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Langley, I have concluded that our existing first aid arrangements of providing basic first aid training to the members of our hotel management teams, who are generally on site at hotels during the day when the majority of incidents requiring the provision of first aid occur, continues to be adequate and appropriate. However, in light of your concerns, we have decided to extend the level of training given to all reception team members, including those who cover the night shift, to include the basic level of first aid training currently provided to our management teams. This will result in over 3,500 extra Travelodge team members being provided with basic first aid training, and will ensure that there will always be a team member on duty that has had a basic level of first aid training 24hrs a day. We are currently working through the logistics of providing
this additional training to such a large number of team members, which will be implemented at the earliest opportunity this year. All other hotel team members will continue to be provided with adequate and appropriate first aid information and instruction to enable them to undertake the duties of a first aid appointed person should the need arise. Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention.
Thank you for your Regulation 28 report dated 23 January 2024, concerning the circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Thomas Roy Langley, which your report confirms was sadly caused as a result of Mr Langley taking a toxic level of a number of substances at some point during his stay at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge on the 21st - 22nd May 2019. I have read your report in detail, and as a result I reviewed our existing first aid arrangements, paying particular reference to this incident. This review has included discussions with other departments across the wider business, as well as a review of all the incidents reported as requiring the provision of first aid assistance during 2023, which confirms, as with the review of incidents reported during 2019 which was undertaken following notification of the inquest, that the majority of the incidents that require first aid assistance still occur during the day, with only circa 9% of incidents occurring between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00. It should also be noted that the first aid provisions in place at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge at the time this tragic incident occurred complied with the legal obligations placed upon Travelodge by the Health & Safety (First Aid) at Work Regulations 1981 (“The Regulations”). The first aid risk assessment was undertaken as required by The Regulations, and follows the guidance set out with the Health & Safety Executive’s (“HSE”) guidance document ‘First aid at work: Guidance on regulations’, which advises that for low hazard environments, such as offices and shops, which would include Travelodge hotels, with fewer than 25 employees on duty, only 1 first aid Appointed Person is required.
The guidance also states that under The Regulations, employers have no legal duty to provide first aid for non-employees / members of the public, but recommends that we consider them when undertaking our assessments, which Travelodge had done and as a result had provided the hotel management teams with basic first aid training, above what was required for a first aid Appointed Person. Travelodge reviews its safety and security policies and risk assessments on an annual basis, or more frequently if an incident occurs indicating that a review of a current policy, procedure or risk assessment is required. Prior to the incident involving Mr Langley occurring in May 2019, this risk assessment was reviewed in January 2019, and confirmed to continue to be adequate and appropriate. Additionally, it should also be noted that the pathologist specifically stated that due to the level of toxins taken by Mr Langley, no amount of first aid provision that could have been provided at the hotel would have altered the subsequently tragic fatal outcome. Having reviewed our existing arrangements, taking into account the number of incidents reported, types of injuries reported that require first aid assistance, the times of day when incidents tend to occur and the specific circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Langley, I have concluded that our existing first aid arrangements of providing basic first aid training to the members of our hotel management teams, who are generally on site at hotels during the day when the majority of incidents requiring the provision of first aid occur, continues to be adequate and appropriate. However, in light of your concerns, we have decided to extend the level of training given to all reception team members, including those who cover the night shift, to include the basic level of first aid training currently provided to our management teams. This will result in over 3,500 extra Travelodge team members being provided with basic first aid training, and will ensure that there will always be a team member on duty that has had a basic level of first aid training 24hrs a day. We are currently working through the logistics of providing
this additional training to such a large number of team members, which will be implemented at the earliest opportunity this year. All other hotel team members will continue to be provided with adequate and appropriate first aid information and instruction to enable them to undertake the duties of a first aid appointed person should the need arise. Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention.